Rail-joint.



A. TJPALMER.

' RAIL JOINT APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. I9I6.

Patented Apr. 10,1917.

fl. Zpkonso 27.2 0, Z

ornrcn.

ALPI-IO'NSO '1. PALMER," or CICERO, rumors.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented a ore Application as May 29, 1916. Serial No. 100,488.

Illinois, have invented certain new and use- 'ful Improvements inRail-Joints,-of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to'rail joints, and

has for its object, the provision of simple and efficient means forconnecting adjacent ends of railway rails. appear hereinafter.

An embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawingforming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a sideelevation of two abutting rail ends equipped with means for fas teningthem together in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section of the same taken on line 22 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1; and, i

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified form of theinvention.

My invention is adaptable for embodiment in rail joints for joiningrails of conventional patterns where the rails are in abutting relation.1 4

Referring more particularly to the drawing, two rail ends 4 and 5 areshown in abutting relation. Under the rail ends is a plate 6, which isadapted to rest on the ties 7 and facilitate making the joint rigid. Inorder to further strengthen the plate 6, I provide a dependingprojection 8 which is formed immediately under the joint between therail ends 4 and 5 and between the ties 7. The purpose of the projection8 is to strengthen the plate vertically and form a sort of bridgebetween the rail ends 4 and 5. At one side of the rail ends 4 and 5, isa fish-plate 9, which may be of conventional construction, or of theconstruction shown, wherein the fish-plate engages the under sides 10 ofthe heads 11 of the rail ends 4 and 5 at its upper edge, and the flanges12 of said rail ends at its lower edge. The

fish-plate shown has an extension 13 which reaches over the flanges 12,and is provided with notches to receive spikes 14, which are adapted tohold the joint on the ties 7 in the usual manner. spacing the inner sideof the fish-plate slightly from the webs 15 of the rail ends, andletting it engage the heads 11 and Other objects will It is found that,by

flanges 12, a more rigid joint is formed than where the plates areclamped against the webs 15, due to thewedging action of the fish-platebetween said heads and flanges.

At the other side of the rail ends 4 and o, 1 provide a fish-plate 16,which has its inner surfacespaced slightly from the webs 1 ,,and-1tsupper and lower edges engaging the heads 11 and flanges 12 in a mannerto wedge the fish-plate 16 tightly against the webs and flanges of therail ends 4 and 5.

,Through the web 15 and the fish-plates 9 and 16 are bolts 17. The bolts17 are provided with nuts 18, which are shown as having enlargements 19thereon. The en largements 19 are provided to form larger bearingsurfaces for the under sides of the nuts.

Between each pair of bolts 17 is a curved leaf spring 20, which iscurved laterally of the rail ends with its upper and lower edges restingagainst the fish-plate 16, and its central portion engaging. againstnuts 18. The arrangement is such that when the nuts 18 are tightened,the springs are flattened out substantially against the fish-plate 16,as clearly indicated in Fig. 3. This flattening of the springs 20provides considerable pressure on the outer side of the fish-plate nearits top and bottom edges, which cooperating with the bolts 17 binds thefishplates 9 and 16 tightly against the rail ends forming asubstantially rigid joint, and yet providing sufficient looseness toaccommodate the contraction and expansion of the rail ends.

The nuts 18 are preferably cut away, as at 21, around the bolts, sothat. only the edge portions of the nuts will engage the springs.

At the remote sides of the end bolts of the joint, I provide projections22, substantially of heights equal to the thickness of the springs2D,'so that the nuts 18 on the end bolts will rest on said extensions 22attheir remote sides to prevent'bending the bolts.

"The springs 20 are limited against downbe provided with an extension24' along its upper edge to permit of the springs 20 being formed widerthan if the extensions 24 were omitted, thereby giving more flexibilityto the springs.

The springs 20 are preferably rectangular in form, and ofsubstantially'the same thickness-throughout. They are preferably cutaway at their corners, as at 25, Fig. 1, to render the lateral edgeportions thereof more flexible than their central portions. 'In thedrawing, the corners are shown as rounded, but any particular form maybe employed, when so desired, in cutting away the corners. Thisconstruction provides springs without any notches or markings which tendto cause the springs to break in use.

I preferably provide longitudinal grooves 26 in the fish-plate 16, underthe springs 20, to provide air spaces to ventilate the joint. By theprovision of the grooves 26, air can get to the under sides of thesirings 20. This prevents water from standing under the springs andrusting them away.

In Fig. 4, I have shown a slightly modified formof my invention. thereare two fish-plates 27 alike in form and construction. A bolt 17 passesthrough the fish-plates and webs 15 in the same manner, as that shown inFigs. 1 ,to 3 inclusive. In this form, the outer surfaces of the fishplates are curved. In this form the springs 20 are flat when not in use,as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. When tension is ting railends having the usual heads, webs I and are straightened out by puttingstress on them to hold the joint together, and in Fig. 4 the springs arestraight, and bent by putting stress on them to make the joint tight.The fish-plates 27 fit between the under sides of the heads 11 and thetop sides of the flanges 12 in both forms.

In the form shown in Fig. 4, I provide a plate 29, under the flanges 12of the rail.

The lateral edges of the plate 29 are bent upwardly around the remoteedges of the flanges 12 to prevent lateral movement of the rail endswith respect to each other. As indicated in dotted lines, one edge ofthe plate is left partly bent before the plate is applied to the joint,and after it is applied, it is bent to the form shown in full lines. Theplate 29 may extend a length equal to plate 6, .or shorter, if desired,but must engage both rail ends 4 and 5, in order to prevent relativelateral movement thereof.

I claim:

1. A rail joint comprising a pair of abutand flanges; fish-plates onopposite sides of the rail ends; bolts passing through said rail endsand fish-plates; and leaf springs oetween and engaging said bolts on oneof In this figure" the fish-plates, said springs being curved laterallyof the-rail ends and having their Strengths diminished gradually fromtheir central portions toward their lateral edges.

2. A rail joint comprising a pair of abutting rail ends having the usualheads, webs and flanges; fish-plates on opposite sides of the rail ends;bolts passing through said rail 'ends and fish-plates; and leaf springsbetween and engaging said bolts on one fish plate, said springs beingsubstantially rectangular with their corners cut away rendering thesprings stronger in their central portions than at their lateral edgeportions.

3. A rail joint comprising a pair of abutting rail ends having the usualheads, webs and flanges; fish-plates at opposite sides of the rail ends;bolts passing through said rail ends and fish-plates; curved leafsprings between the bolts on one fish-plate having their centralportions curved laterally with respect to the rail ends away from thefishplate, the corner portions of the springs being cut away to renderopposite edge portions of the springs more flexible than the centralportions, and nuts threaded on the bolts clamping the springs againstthe fishplates.

4. A rail joint comprising a pair of abutting rail ends having the usualheads, webs and flanges; fish-plates on opposite sides of the rail ends;bolts passing through said rail ends and fish-plates; leaf springsdisposed between said bolts on one of the fishplates and engaging the tosides of the flanges at one side of the red ends; and a head on one ofthe fish-plates limiting u-pward movements of the springs.

5. A rail joint comprising a. pair of abutting rail ends having theusual heads, webs and flanges; fish plates at opposite sides of the railends; bolts extending through the rail ends and fish plates; leat'springs disposed between said bolts on one of said fish plates; and nutsthreaded on the bolts holding the springs against said fish plate, therebeing grooves in the fish plate under said springs permitting the freepassage of air under said springs when the latter are brought tightlyagainst said fish plate.

6. A rail joint comprising a pair of abutting rail ends having the usualheads, webs and flanges; fish-plates on opposite sides of the rail ends,engaging the lower sides of said heads and the upper sides of saidflanges and spaced from'said webs; bolts passing through said webs andfish-plates; springs disposed between the bolts and having their top andbottom edges engaging one of the fish-plates and their central portionscurved away from said fish-plates; and nuts threaded on the boltspressing on the curved portions of the springs for holding the lattertightly against the fish-plate.

7. A rail joint comprising a pair of abutmaneee ting rail ends havingthe usual heads, webs and flanges; fish plates at opposite sides of therail ends; a leaf spring disposed against one of the fish plates andhaving its strength diminished gradually from a median line thereoftoward its edges at the sides of said median line; and bolts passingthrough the rail ends and fish plates and engagingapproximately saidmedian line of the springs holding the latter under compression.

8. A rail joint comprising a pair of abutting rail ends having the usualheads, webs and flanges; fish-plates at the side of the rail ends,spaced from said webs and engaging said heads and flanges, one of thefish-plates having a groove in its outer side;

curved springs on the fish-plate oversaid groove, said springs beingcurved laterally of the rail ends outwardly from the fishplate at theircentral portions, the corner portions of said springs being cut away torender the upper and lower edge portions more flexible than the centralportions thereof; and nuts threaded on the bolts holding the rail ends,fish-plates and springs together.

9. A rail joint comprising a pair of abutting rail ends having the usualheads, webs and flanges; fish plates on opposite sides of the rail ends;leaf springs on one of said fish plates, each of said springs beingsubstantially rectangular with its corners cut away rendering itstronger at its central portion than at its edge portions; bolts passingthrough the rail ends and fish plates between said springs and holdingthe latter under compression; and means on said fish plate at the upperedges of said springs preventing upward movement of the latter.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, onthis 27th day of May, D. 1916.

ALPHONSO T. PALMER.

